Excruciating period pain - some months

[prestigiouspasta]

About once every 4-6 months, I get absolutely excruciating cramps, in both my abdomen and back, often accompanied by vomiting. These months, the pain is so bad I physically can't stand up straight, and sometimes come close to passing out. Naproxen and cocodamol help, but still leave a lot of pain. This has been the case for as long as I remember.

Other months, I get some pain but it's easily manageable with ibuprofen and a hot water bottle.

An ultrasound a few years ago showed a very small fibroid (approx 1cm) but GP said she wouldn't expect that to cause so much pain. I've seen several GPs over the years, and all seem perplexed by the fact the intense pain only occurs some months. Any mumsnetters got experience of what this could be?

As you mentioned this pain has prolonged so you should better try to get a detailed scan. There could be multiple reasons but a minor issue can also lead to further issues if not managed carefully.

Hi op. This was me pre HRT and pre Mirena coil.

Eventually I found out that I had diffuse adenomyosis. It doesnt really matter any more, I only get periods once in a while on the coil and I can cope with the pain.

But honestly if I'd known about it ten years ago, I'd have had a hysterectomy.

I would go back to GP and insist on a scan being booked. I had something similar and it turned out to be an ovarian cyst which was huge and needed removing.

Being 'puzzled' without doing further tests isn't good enough.

Do you know what kind of scan I could request?

I've already had an ultrasound, which only showed the fibroid, and GP doesn't seem forthcoming with other options

Did you have trans vaginal?

That's what is best practice for showing the reproductive organs.

Did they suggest a plan of action for the fibroids? Have them out? Hysterectomy?

If you have private cover, I'd get an open referral from your GP and see someone privately.

MRI is the gold standard for endometriosis. Mine looked pretty bad on there, when they operated a year later it was in the surgeons words “like a different persons MRI. Much much worse”

I’m not in the UK, but please push to see a gynaecologist. I spent almost 10 years dealing with excruciating pain and migraines every month. I’d bleed for 3 weeks of every month and had a couple of days with huge clots.

I lived on codeine and spent days at a time in a dark room with my head under a pillow. Outings with family were planned around which phase of this I was in each month. I’d drag myself to work and go back to bed.

I was regularly fobbed off by my GP. I regret not pushing to be seen sooner. When I did finally see a gynaecologist he literally had me in surgery the next morning. I had huge fibroids, not the tiny ones the GP thought I had. The surgery cleaned everything out and the migraines and bleeding instantly resolved.

From living on pain killers, I now rarely have a headache or take a panadol. Please push to see a specialist.

Yes both transvaginal and external.

GP tried to refer me to gynaecology for fibroid. Gynaecology refused the referral because my fibroid is under 3cm, which is apparently the local criteria. Instead recommended GP prescribe contraceptive pill (I took for years when I was younger, didn't make a difference) and painkillers.

Unfortunately I don't have private health insurance. I could probably afford one private appointment, but not ongoing private care.

Mine was like this - it kind of built up over several cycles, getting slightly longer each time, and then on the fourth or fifth one, I'd get the whole works, the migraine, vomiting, terribly pale, intense pain like contractions, couldn't stand up straight etc. Then I'd go back to a relatively easy month, and the pattern would start over. It wasn't totally predictable, but approximately like that - getting longer and longer, then the awful cycle, then less bad. Even the less bad ones werne't always great, but not with the contraction like pain etc.

never found out what it was. Took all the painkillers, mefanemic acid, etc, tried birth control pills etc. Gradually improved in perimenopause, not quite as often, and now I"m menopausal so doesn't happen now. (I'm slightly worried about starting hrt in case in come back!)

But the whole intense pain but not every month absolutely happened to me too. (However, the painful periods weren't any heavier or clottier than the normal ones - they were all about the same, a couple of days of very heavy, then a few lighter days). It was just the pain that varied.